What are you thankful for this holiday season?

Not the regular things we are all thankful for – family, friends, health, a job, freedom.

What are some of the quirkier things you are thankful for?

I came up with a list of a few odd things that I am thankful for in my life…

Strong ethnicities – our ‘melting pot’ or ‘salad bowl’ mixture in the US often leaves people not feeling strongly affiliated with one or two enthnicities. I’m lucky to be half Irish and half Italian. My husband is a similar blend – half Irish and half Greek. Our kids are 100% Russian. It is a blessing to have that sense of belonging to a particular group or groups, with traditions or foods that place you squarely within that group. Many of our ancestors just wanted to blend in and be “American”. Now we look back and celebrate those unique pieces of our ethnic heritage. Tonight, for instance, we are off to a dance at the Greek church, where we will dance all night long, and eat spanikopita and keftedes. You don’t have to be Greek, you just need to learn the 12-count dance step! And be hungry. It struck me several years back that this was just one more evil of the slave trade - slavery also robbed ethnicity. Imagine only being able to point back to your family’s continent of origin. Polish would be lumped together with French, German and Turkish. What a loss of rich diversity.

Those fleeting moments when you see the adult your teenager may become, in between the rolling eyes, the “Why don’t you trust me”s and the cell phone bills. Those little glimpses give hope that things will turn out okay, that the teenager may actually be listening, that sooner or later, the teenager will pick up his or her own room because he or she wants it clean… Is that a body in there???

Curly hair. Nope. Still struggling with this one, and still considering breaking out the flat iron again. The difference between curly hair and frizzy hair is just one strong gust of wind.

Carmenere and Malbec grapes. This is, after all, a blog about the intermingling of food and wine, and friendship discovered in that mixture. These two grapes just do not disappoint! And they do not need to be stored in a humidity controlled room, at 54 degrees, and make me wait till I am retired for them to taste good. Adjectives like bad or stinko just are not used with a Carmenere or a Malbec. There are expensive versions of both, but there are also stunning, inexpensive brands of both wines available.

What unexpected things are you thankful for? Maybe Lisa’s pumpkin cheesecake? I have tasted it before, and it is definitely worth coveting!

Today, move out of the voyeur mode, and let us hear a bit about you. Click that comment button and tell us what you are thankful for.

I felt cursed for a long time… used to straighten it, and blow it dry. Then one day my hairstylist, Denice from Shapes & Colours — a totally fantastic woman — convinced me to grow it long and give it some guidance. She taught me how to appreciate, and be THANKFUL, for what I have. No more hairdryer for me! & I’m loving it. Oh, and I did find this awesome styling gel… just found it, in fact… I’m very happy with it.